At the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Columbus Circle strike rally Sept. 18, several celebrity actors got onstage to speak about the five-month-old strike and to offer testimonials supporting the union. Taking the stage to deliver some "good news," legendary actress Celeste Holm told the 600-700 actors in attendance that talk show host and theatre booster Rosie O'Donnell had decided to ban non-union commercials from her program during the duration of the strike.

Holm said she had spoken to Rosie O'Donnell and had asked the talk show host if she could speak to producers and influence them to support the union effort.

Celeste Holm quoted O'Donnell, who reportedly told her, "Don't worry, I've already asked them..." and then went on to say that, as a result of her [O'Donnell's] intervention, no commercials would air on the show unless the producers had signed the SAG "interim agreement."

Calls to the Rosie O'Donnell Show (Sept. 18 -19) to confirm and clarify the story were not returned by press time.

-- By Murdoch McBride